Faces Of The Game

On the fairways

February 4, 1996|By Jeff Babineau of The Sentinel Staff

NAME: Grant Waite.

AGE: 31.

RESIDENCE: New Zealand.

JOINED PGA TOUR: 1990.

BACKGROUND: Waite narrowly missed a 15-foot birdie putt at his final hole a week ago - the ninth hole at TPC of Scottsdale (Ariz.) - that would have made him only the third player in PGA Tour history to break 60 in competition. He settled for a final-round, 11-under-par 60 that put him in another elite group - one of 10 players who have shot 60 on tour.

THE ELUSIVE '59 CLUB': Al Geiberger, fittingly known as ''Mr. 59,'' was the first on tour to break 60 at the 1977 Memphis Classic. Chip Beck matched Geiberger's effort by shooting 59 at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational.

WORTH THE WAITE: Waite started slowly, making pars at his first three holes. However, he chipped in from 50 feet for eagle at the par-5 13th, birdied the 14th, notched another eagle at the par-5 15th, and added birdies at Nos. 16 and 17. He made the turn at 7 under par and added four birdies on his next seven holes to get to 11 under. He made pars at his last two holes, grazing the edge of the cup for birdie at his last hole.

THE REACTION: ''I was trying to figure out how many under I had gone,'' Waite said, recalling his thoughts after getting to 11 under. ''It was like, 'Where does that put me?' I looked at the board, and I knew with a couple of birdies, I could shoot in the 50s. Then I told myself, 'You've got a chance here, let's go for this.' Down the stretch, I made sure I didn't back off at all.''

Birdies and Bogeys

To borrow the words of the immortal Ed Sullivan, last week's 43rd PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center was, once again, a ''really, really big shoe.'' The biggest yet. And make note of the word yet.

After Cobra Golf unveiled a 10,000-square-foot, double-decker booth that included a vibrant 14-by-18-foot video wall and a sound system befitting a Van Halen concert - the entire extravaganza ran the company more than $1 million - the race officially has begun: Who can create the most bells and whistles in 1997? Cobra already has discussed a $1.5 million booth for next January. Look for the industry's heavy hitters to keep up.

Has the show become more flash than substance? Certainly the Cobra booth did not appear conducive for writing business deals, as sales representatives had to reach deep within the sternum to turn up the volume to speak with prospective buyers. But ask your local golf pro what he remembers most about The Show in '96, and the word Cobra likely will emerge.

One person obviously not thrilled with Cobra's fireworks was Ely Callaway, chairman and chief executive officer of Callaway, a rival of Cobra's, whose booth just happened to be directly across the hallway. However, the PGA of America tested the decibel level of Cobra's exhibit (85 decibels) and found the results were within the show's guidelines. And besides, it was so loud that it was difficult to hear Callaway's protests.

The Show did not drop its curtain on Monday without a few lighter moments, however. Callaway, in fact, strayed from his booth to venture into Taylor Made's vast exhibit, and was carefully inspecting a line of Taylor Made's not-yet-introduced titanium fairway woods when a Taylor Made representative approached, looking to have a little fun.

''Can I help you, sir?'' the rep asked Callaway, pretending not to know who he was. Callaway nodded, and then inquired when Taylor Made planned to begin shipment of its new line.